Hunt begins for leader of Terracotta army

The dig will uncover more of the enormous pit that surrounds the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor.

The first excavation of the site lasted six years betweeen 1978 and 1984, during which 1,087 clay soldiers were discovered. A second excavation started in 1985 but was cut short after a year.

Altogether, archaeologists believe there may be as many as 8,000 life-size clay figures in the pits, as well as chariots and hundreds of horses. No two figures are alike, and craftsmen are believed to have modelled them after a real army.